Lesnar (4-1) ended the main event with a relentless series of right hands into the face of Mir, who gave Lesnar his only loss nearly 18 months ago. Lesnar, a former NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion from the University of Minnesota, lives in Alexandria, Minn.

Lesnar, a hulking former pro wrestler with a mercurial temperament, then taunted his opponent while Mir still was prone. He added a two-handed obscene gesture to the booing sellout crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, putting an entertaining but unflattering end to the highest-profile show in the sport’s history.

Lesnar, who turns 32 today, again moved upward in the eclectic trajectory of a former college wrestler who performed in the WWE and briefly suited up for the Minnesota Vikings before embarking on a mixed martial arts career just over three years ago.

Lesnar used his 265 pounds to take position on top of Mir early, and Lesnar stayed on top throughout a dull first round, throwing punches that mostly did little. Mir made a bit of headway in the second but was trapped against the octagon by Lesnar, who kept throwing right hands until Mir’s defense wilted.

Mir (12-4) beat Lesnar with a knee bar at UFC 81, forcing Lesnar to tap out 90 seconds into his second UFC fight. Lesnar, whose name recognition and menacing approach earned him lightning-quick shots at the sport’s biggest prizes, recovered by beating Heath Herring and then stopping Randy Couture last November to claim the heavyweight belt.

On the undercard, Georges St. Pierre defended his welterweight title, showing off his inimitably well-rounded mixed martial arts skills in an unanimous decision over Thiago Alves. Dan Henderson also knocked out Michael Bisping with a single punch in a middleweight upset.

Thousands of mixed martial arts fans packed the arena and surrounding casinos for the card. The arena was packed well before the main bouts.

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